AWAITING THE LIGHT; SOLSTICE GREETINGS AND RENEWAL

The light retreats and darkness dominates, the old year comes to a close. There have been many changes and challenges. Traditionally, impulsively, we turn inwards to reflect on our current condition and circumstances. A few plans have already been laid and other ideas are still lying dormant, as seeds waiting to take new form and grow. As we pause to celebrate the turning of the year towards the light, my best wishes go to all my good friends and colleagues in the work.

I am pleased to announce here a new workshop in the North East of England, under the auspices of The Shiatsu College, Manchester.It is some time since my last visit and it will be a delight to work once more with friends and colleagues in the region.

Gyoki, “cultivating a feeling for ki”, is one of the most basic and fundamental Seiki practices. It is something that we can all begin simply, and use to develop our sensitivity, spontaneity and self-understanding. The increased sensitivity is directly beneficial, principally for ourselves, but also in our work with others.
The simplicity of Gyoki can enable us to discover the practice of “non-doing”, to act without acting; and by allowing this effortless effort into the therapeutic setting we are simultaneously cultivating the spontaneity and compassionate wisdom at the heart of true Zen. All of these are aspects of Seiki which will expand the range and depth of our Shiatsu and resonate with all those involved in the subtle healing arts.
Seiki is characterised by simple contact and uncompromising attention. This approach supports a more open and trusting state in which both parties, the giver and the receiver, can experience through “interior resonance” the subtle, self-harmonizing life-movement process.
There will be “progressive exercises” in Gyoki that develop increased sensitivity in following movement and sensing Hara through partner work.
There will be demonstration Seiki treatments, always an essential part of my approach, taken directly from Kishi’s constant example. We learn through experience.
There will also be opportunities to practice treatments according to the simple guidelines that Seiki offers, a practical connection to the internal yin-yang principals of Do-In which are rarely stated and explained.
All these will show how general understanding develops from our experiences of reality, and how this can be incorporated as reliable guidance in healing practice, independent of formal methods. Connecting with Nature and feeling our way.

NOTE: The basic practice of Gyoki is described in an earlier blog (see blog history).

To book a place please contactPhilip Cheshire-Neal at shiatsucollegemanchester@gmail.com

BACKGROUND THOUGHTS AND IDEAS

Those of you who read my “October Essay” in this blog, will recognize that I am increasingly committed to promoting a new vision for Shiatsu with Do-In as an integrated educational project, developing a different strand of training – more basic than the medical-therapeutic orientation that characterizes most current professional courses. The application of simplified theory and Yin-Yang philosophy to the integrated physical and mental disciplines of Daoyin or Do-In is a practically achievable goal. Everywhere there are people studying the necessary particulars of their chosen interests. I am convinced that through this integral vision Shiatsu can take a broader role, emerging from its narrow professional confinement to bring the amateur spirit with which it was once identified back to the centre.

Do-In represents the Mindful Touch and Movement Practices for health and wellbeing that are the formal embodiment of the wisdom tradition in Far-Eastern Subtle Medicine. It is a complete system that recommends itself in every way as a respite and a remedy for the stress of our fast-paced and alienating world.

Seiki represents the same healing art of “mindful touch” as experiential learning. It widens the range of simple practices available for healing, incorporating movement meditations, communication and embodied awareness practices, sometimes in the form of games. It is a less conventional path of inner, subjective knowledge, illuminating the interior and supporting each person’s uniquely experienced reality, but lends itself equally to the interests and needs of the community at large. It is subtle, spacious, tranquil and liberating; it fosters basic trust in life.

It is important to create a more coherent understanding of the whole field of East-Asian Healing Arts, but our focus here is on the Japanese tradition, with its unique refinement of mental and physical artistic disciplines, based in Hara, the vital centre in the human beng. Seiki courses are always open. Everyone is welcome, from beginners to the most experienced.P.L.